The Opelousas courier., 1887-02-19
Miss Begonia's Canary.

I'll 49, NJ SSAhSA W NiS WV
with an open book in her lap and a
palm leaf fan in her hand.
Miss Begonia had been born and
brought up in the West Indies. She
was a tall, yellow-faced female, with
high cheek bones, small bead black
eyes, and hair that she wore frizzed, not
because it was becoming, but because it
was the fashion; and she wore foulard-
silk wrappers that hung in straight folds
from neck to instep, and made her figure
look a degree more like a clothes post
than its natural capacities-which, in
deed, were quite sufficient.
What n contrast was little Barbara
Held, the 1ifteen-year-ol old German girl,
as she held open the door and viewed
Miss Begonia through the four inches of
aperture with mute, admiring awe. Oh,
to wear silk dresses like that; to SIT and
read picture-books all day!
If Barbara had asked whether she
would prefer to be an angel or Miss Be-
gonia she would have answered "Miss
Begonia."
.'Pleasc, Miss Begonia, !" she asked, in
a soft contralto. IFS there anything more
4lat | can do z,
stHavc you fed the canaries," said
Miss Begonia, ''and given the monkey
exercise, and cleaned the lory's cage,
and looked after the parrots, and fur
pished fresh nuts to the squirrels 2"
"And cleaned the east windows, and
watered tho ferns and helped Deborah
clean the silver"
"Yes, Miss Begonia."
'sThen I suppose you may 60. But
be sure you are here at four o'clock pre-
cisely to gather the red raspberries for
tca.n
Barbara Held dropped a little cour-
tcsy, and went away to fulfill her next
engagement--that of daily scrubbing at
tie house of Mrs. Levinbolt, one of those
Tabid y neat housewives who regard
cleanliness as u shade or two superior 10
goodness.
For Barbara Held was q Woodworking
little elf, and there was need that she
should work. The Held family had
come over from Germany two or three
years before. But Herman Held, the
father, had died of ship fever on thdp|
way the mother had been paralyzed on
one side within a month Of reaching the
American El Dorado, and there was only
Barbara to find bread for the three
moon-eyed little He.ds. i
Hiss Begonia watched the brown /
checked fgare hit away and disappear /
in the lipSlen shadows of the front lawn, {
and th frose up. /
Ill drop asleep, if I don't stir /
little, and gather lilies for the {
dia vases said Miss Bogonia, and i
then she went in to look at her birds. |
A row Of gilded cages hung high j
above the envious paw OF cat or dog; ,
Miss Begonia eyed them with serene !
satisfaction. !
s.All right soliIoqnized she, stPet /,
and Darling, Minee, PinkneN and-why, !
goodness gracious mel The linnet
canary isgonel' - (,
Transfixed with horror and astonish- |
ment, Miss Bcgonia stood before the :
cage which had contained the !
pet and pride Of her heart. !
1.-THE cage door Is tight shut, tool !
The linnet-canary Is stoleni OH no, )
perhaps-who knows but Barbara Held !,
has changed him to some ether cage. It j
would be unparalleled audacity, but - !
And snatching q curious straw hat
from its nail behind the door, away
posted Miss Begonia Fcatherfield to the
Held cottage. i
Barbara Ind not got home yet, but Mrs. I
Held sat with her knitting il her lap. d
Mrs. Held could no; rise to courtesy to !
ne great lady, but she smiled in her )
Heeb.e German way. Il
But Miss Begonia took no notice Of !,
hem; her eyes were glued to i spot on i
he wall, Just buck of the paralyzsd i
soman's head, where hung ! wicker cage ii
containing tho linnct canary. s,
wei, \ neveris cried Miss Bcgon il g
Tho impadsnee 81 the thieving creature 8
afEsF Ill that ] hare done for her, too. 4
Fell / neverFis 4,